Posts

Posted on

Cheese Muffins

Be sure to splurge on freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano for these muffins because the flavor is superior. Serve any leftover muffins with soup or a salad for a light lunch.

Ingredients

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 1/4 ounces) fresh finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Place 3 tablespoons cheese in a small bowl; set aside. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, remaining cheese, sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, oil, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into 15 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved 3 tablespoons cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.

Yield:  15 servings (serving size: 1 muffin)

Posted on

Curried Parsnips+

Another recipe from “Clean Food“

I have been basically cutting this in half.

  • 2 lbs. parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4″ or so)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large leek, quartered (how do you do that?) and thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (we use the tube)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp mirin (I have not been using this…)
  • 1 tsp curry powder

Steam sliced parsnips until not quite tender (time will vary depending on how thick you’ve sliced your parsnips).  Remove from heat and set aside.

In large pan over medium heat, saute leek, ginger, garlic and mirin in oil until leeks are tender.  Add curry powder and parsnips and saute until parsnips start to brown.  Deglaze pan with a little water, releasing any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Season to taste with salt.

Serves 4.

Posted on

Lessons Learned (or what’s not in the book that you should know)

Here is a summary of the insights we gained that are interspersed in our trip summary – in no particular order….

If you end up using buses or trains to move around, look into a 3-day pass for the Valais region, it can save you a decent sum.

The demi-pension tends to be a good deal – you will usually get a full 3-4 course meal for the price of an entree at most other restaurants.

The Cicerone book does not talk about when lifts run and when they stop for the season – don’t take anything for granted.

Corollary to previous: take advantage of the Office of Tourism – they can alert you to the current lift schedule and help you find a place to stay if you haven’t made reservations.

Corollary to previous: there are a lot of crazy people who actually pay to RUN on the trails you will be hiking – be informed of races during your travel dates so that you can make appropriate reservations ahead of time (or avoid the madness altogether).

As in many other countries, the Swiss take a “siesta” between noon and 2-3 pm.  Restaurants are open but no other businesses will be available during this time (except in larger towns like Chamonix and Zermatt, based on our experience).

There are some great lifts at both Chamonix and Zermatt that will offer you great views and proximity to the mountains.  They are not cheap, but we thought they were worth it (if you have the means).  There is a multi-day pass in Chamonix that will also cover the lift at Le Tour (if you are planning to use it).  In any case, examine what you want to do; we were not really prepared and ended up spending more than we should have on tickets for individual lifts.

“Kev time” is not a reality for many of us lesser hikers – however, we (elderly 😉 50 year olds) were able to easily accomplish each leg with time to relax in the evening, so don’t get too hung up on your speed.  You are there to enjoy the moment, not just to endure the day.

If you buy maps, get the ones with a “T” on the end, otherwise you won’t have all the hiking trails marked.

If you stay in a hotel in the Chamonix valley, you will get a free pass to use public transportation during your stay – including buses and trains.

Trail difficulty is marked by colors: yellow/black is easy, red/white is more difficult, blue (we never encountered it) is the most challenging.

Take advantage of other traveler’s knowledge and whatever else you can pick up from people along the way – the trail is definitely subject to change from avalanches or other natural phenomena.  You can save yourself time or at least be mentally prepared for an altered route.

BE PREPARED FOR BLISTERS!  They are benign injuries, but will significantly impact your enjoyment of the trip and even your ability to stay on schedule.  We both brought different sock combinations and had various ointments and tapes – but blisters still created a distraction and could have delayed our trip more significantly.

Take advantage of hostels, cabanes and other group resting spots to meet fellow travelers.  These interactions are what will make your experience much richer and more memorable.

Posted on

Family Photos

Since we invited you to check out our website, I figured I should treat you to some family photos.

Here is my brother Bill with Sarah and Alex at cousin Brittany’s groom’s dinner in Sept. 2008.

Sarah’s graduation from the University of Southern Maine in May, 2008.

Alex and Jolene – what a two-some?!

Kitties – Bernoulli and Tesla

Alex and Sarah at Christmas 2008

Sarah celebrating successfully completing a 10k race in Maine – all to write an article for the Forecaster!

Sarah, stopping off in MN on her way to San Francisco, Sept. 2009

And here’s a video of our crazy Bengal cat, Bernoulli, who is entranced by our pinball machines

{flv}BernoulliPinball{/flv}

Posted on

Curried Lamb Stew+

  • 1/2 c flour
  • 1 tsp sale
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 1/2 lbs lamb stew meat, cut in 1 1/2″ cubes
  • 1/4 c butter
  • 2 medium potatoes (1 1/2″ cubes)
  • 2 medium carrots, sliced
  • 1 c chopped onion
  • 1 c quartered white mushrooms
  • 1 c peeled, chopped apple
  • 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 4 c water
  • 2 Tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp instant chicken bouillon
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 6 whole cloves

Mix flour, salt and pepper in bag; add lamb and shake to coat.

In Dutch oven, melt butter.  Add lamb and any flour left in the bag.  Brown over medium heat.

Add potatoes, carrots, onion, mushrooms, apple, tomatoes and water.  Heat to boiling.  Add remaining ingredients.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until vegetables and meat are tender.  Remove cloves before serving.

 

6 servings

  • cal: 470
  • fat: 18.4g
  • carbs: 33.5 g
  • fiber: 5/4
  • protein: 42.4
Posted on

Thumbprint Cookies*

  • 1 c salted butter, softened
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 2 c flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Icing:

  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • 1 1/4 c powdered sugar

In a mixer, cream teh butter and sugar on medium high until pale and fluffy.  Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour and salt until combined and dough pulls from the sides.  Form dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.

Form little balls, about 1/2 Tbsp or so in size, make an indentation with your thumb and roll the sides in sprinkles (optional).  Once you have a cookie sheet full, bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees. You’ll have to take the pan out and press the thumbprints back down and then return to the oven to bake another 10 minutes or so.  You don’t want these browning, so watch them carefully.

Let them cool completely before filling them with icing.

To make the icing, just whick the milk and powdered sugar together in a small bowl and add in some food coloring.

You must let the cookies sit for at least 6-8 hours so the icing sets and gets hard.